Just when you think Rily has lost it he goes off and pulls a trade adding Ricky Davis and Marc Blount for almost nothing, if you don't consider Antoine Walker as still being of much value that is.

This opener gets top billing as the Nation tunes in to see if the Pistons and Heat have rejuvinated their rosters enough to re-take the East. Should be a good one. Heat have been slow starters and they have more key pieces to integrate this year.

Actually, it was both. I think he had them on the same day. That play he got hurt on last season when they ended up wheeling him off the court was a shoulder injury, but it turned out that he was having knee problems as well.

I read something yesterday about how those close to him say that the shoulder is healing much slower than they had hoped. I'm wondering if he really did sacrifice his future a bit to play through the injury in the playoffs.

MIAMI (AP) -- On the eve of his 16th NBA season, even Miami Heat center Shaquille O'Neal sees extra significance in opening night.
Standings-wise, it's just the first of 82 games, the start of the grueling six-month march toward the postseason. But to O'Neal, opening night merely represents the first chance to get into first place -- which may explain why he's only been part of two season-starting losses in his long career.

He'll look to improve that record Thursday, when the Heat host the Detroit Pistons.

"It's very important," O'Neal said. "You always wake up the next day and see 1-0, not 0-1.
You always want to be 1-0 and at the top of your standings, not start off at the bottom. It's been a long summer, everybody's been waiting anxiously for us to be back, so we'll try to give them a good show. And we will."

Last year the Heat lost their 1st game and home opener 108-66 to the Bulls. Both Shaq and Wade played.

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Shaq is old for a 325 pound athlete. He can be run off the court very easily.

All you have to do is up the tempo against the Heat and keep it up while Shaq is on the floor and he will ask for relief, start walking only 3/4 court like Kareem did at that age, or at the very best start coming up short on his shots and lose mobility on defense.

Shaq is no longer a factor as a starter who is supposed to play 30 minutes a game effectively.

Shaq would be more effective at this time in his career if he came off of the bench for 15 - 20 minutes a game.

Why wouldn't you be able to see the HD games, max? On my cable system, whenever a station has an HD version as well as a standard-def version, they come in on two completely different channels. My system doesn't have the Comcast Sports Net HD channel that shows Wizards games locally in HD, but I still get all of them on the standard-def version of that channel.

I must admit that if I had only one game tonight that I could watch I am not so sure that I would watch the Pistons - Heat game rather than the Suns - Durant show especially since it is the home opener for the Sonics.

It would be a tough choice. I think that the Suns - Durant show will be more entertaining. Durant had 18 last night on the road. 30 + tonight? I wouldn't bet against it.

Detroit starting shooting guard Richard Hamilton will not be playing in tonight's opener against Miami so he can tend to a family situation involving his child. As of right now, Hamilton is considered probable for Friday's game against Orlando.
In Hamilton's place, rookie Arron Afflalo will be making his first NBA start.